ADRIAN — A career course change steered Adrian native Julie Porterfield out of criminal justice and into serving the elderly. On Jan. 1, the Adrian native is to become responsible for residents at the 136-bed Lenawee Medical Care Facility.

Porterfield’s promotion to replace retiring administrator Kath Aube was made official two weeks ago by the board that oversees the county-owned facility on Sand Creek Highway. Porterfield had been the board’s choice since she was selected assistant administrator two years ago to begin preparing for the transition, said board chairwoman Patricia McWilliams.

It will not be easy to match Aube’s leadership of the Lenawee Medical Care Facility, said Porterfield. During Aube’s 15 years as administrator, the facility has gone through a major transformation into a more comfortable, home-like environment. There were also two major renovation and expansion projects. The facility has accumulated more than a dozen awards for quality care and built a solid reputation in the community that helped it easily win millage renewals.

She said the facility board and staff share credit for the success.

“I have seen the difference that the changes have had on the lives of the people here,” Porterfield said. The challenge is to keep making improvements and bettering the lives of the elders, she said.

“We have a great group of employees, and Kathy has been a great mentor to me,” Porterfield said. “That’s one thing that Kathy said, we never rest on our laurels. We’re always looking for ways to improve our care.”

Porterfield’s route to becoming head of the Lenawee Medical Care Facility included a sharp turn from a career in criminal justice that began while she was a student at Siena Heights University. She worked at Lenawee County’s Maurice Spear Campus youth facility. After graduating, she worked four years with criminal defendants in Lucas County, Ohio, in pre-trial services and as a pre-sentence investigator.

After starting a family, she returned to Adrian, taking a position as case manager at Lenawee Community Mental Health. She and her husband have a son in high school and a daughter in nursing school.

Porterfield said she enjoyed working with elderly clients at community mental health, leading her to join the Lenawee Medical Care Facility staff 15 years ago as a social worker. She was promoted to human resources director six years ago. Assistant administrator duties were added two years ago.

While her duties changed over the years, she said it remained a priority to stay in contact with the residents.

“I enjoy getting out on the floor and talking with the residents,” she said. “We are constantly asking them what we can do to improve our services.”

Page 2 of 2 - They usually have suggestions, Porterfield said. Responding to their suggestions, she said, the facility is now working to add more choices in meals for residents and improving meal delivery services.

Porterfield will also be in charge of another renovation project scheduled to start in January. There are also plans for another building expansion in the future, she said, to convert some of the remaining 32 semi-private rooms to the more popular single rooms.